Under the hood, the XD3 uses a a straight-six, aluminum 3.0-liter engine with two turbochargers, common-rail direct injection and variable turbine geometry. It has a maximum output of 350 horsepower (257 kW) at 4,000 rpm and a peak torque of 700 Nm (516 lb-ft) reached between 1,500 and 3,000 rpm.

The engine is mated to a ZF eight-speed automatic transmission specifically engineered for this model.

Fuel consumption is rated at 6.8 liters per 100 km or 41.5 MPG, with CO2 levels kept in check at 180 g/km.

So, is it a fast car?

The XD3 is at once startlingly quick. From the X3 35d’s twin-turbo straight-six they’ve wrung an extra 37bhp (making 350) and 50lb ft of torque (for a whopping 516), and the latter makes the mid-range delivery borderline scary.

A whole second has been melted from the 0-62mph time, allowing you to arrive at the horizon 4.9sec after departure, and if you stay pinned you’ll see a rumoured 158mph, which is 9mph up on boggo. Exactly what you need from an upright school run chariot, naturally.

Sounds worryingly good so far…

Terrific, but can this lurchy four-wheel-drive chassis handle it? Alpina notes the ‘contradictory demands’ of comfort vs sporty handling, and nods to the latter with new electronic dampers and signature multi-spoked 20in wheels, while largely ignoring the former. Result: cattle-grid ride quality. Ouch.